Ghost
by love dani
Summary: He was doing fine until he received that damn voicemail eight months after she left.
1. Hi, it's me

Ghost

/ɡōst/

_noun_

1\. an apparition of a dead person which is believed to appear or become manifest to the living

_verb_

1._ informal_: to abruptly cut off all contact with (someone, such as a former romantic partner) by no longer accepting or responding to phone calls, instant messages, etc.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Hi, it's me**

* * *

Some days, Sasuke wishes he was born someone else. Don't get him wrong; he loves his family very much and he wouldn't trade them for anything but some days, like today, and yesterday, and the day before, he wishes he wasn't _Uchiha _Sasuke, COO of a multimillion-dollar empire.

Granted, he wasn't really COO. But when Itachi asked if he was up to keeping the seat warm until he comes back from his indefinite leave, well…

He didn't think Itachi would be gone for so long. When his brother said "indefinite leave", he thought maybe five, six months tops. Okay, fine, he actually thought he'd only be gone for a week (a day, really) because c'mon, Itachi probably just asked him to give him a taste of what he so clearly wants (wanted).

Sasuke was only twenty-two—a child in the sea of middle-aged people that is the board of directors. In fact, he remembers his father saying "you're practically a toddler in the business, Sasuke." Of course, his father was referring to Sasuke's lack of experience and not his age but that was just all the more reason why he shouldn't be acting COO. Back then, he had been angry, offended that his father didn't think him capable of handling the responsibility when he had been training for it his whole life. (An exaggeration; he only decided he wanted in on the family business at seventeen. Little Sasuke wanted to be a robocop and adolescent Sasuke wanted to be a plant.)

"I graduated top of my class in Wharton, father," he had said.

Now, at the ripe old age of twenty-three, Sasuke regrets not listening to his old man. His pride is the only thing stopping him from asking (begging) his father to drag Itachi's ass back from whatever philanthropic work he was doing in Wakanda.

Sorry, he meant Rwanda. He hasn't had enough rest for so long and now he's getting things mixed up.

Soup. That's what his brain has been since morning.

He knew something was amiss when during breakfast, he drowned his muesli with orange juice instead of milk. And when he got to work, he waited seven minutes inside the executive elevator before realizing he didn't press on his floor. And dear Lord, when he walked into the door of his office. His poor secretary almost fell off her seat at the sound of Sasuke's nose hitting glass.

The glass wasn't even clear; it was frosted. His nose throbbed just thinking about it.

Sasuke doesn't know what he did the night before to wake up so disoriented and be so far from his usual cool and collected self.

He's distracted from his thoughts when his phone lights up and starts ringing. He pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a sigh at the caller ID.

Sasuke slides his finger over the screen; his iPhone not giving him much of a choice.

"What?" He deadpans.

"Not too loud, teme!" Naruto practically whines through the phone, voice even louder than the normal volume Sasuke used.

_Annoying._

He could hear shuffling in the background followed by a thud and a muffled "ow!" Naruto lets out a string of curses on the other end of the line. "What the fuck did we do last night?"

"Don't remember," he shrugs. He puts his phone on speaker and sets it down on his desk. He catches a glimpse of the time on his iMac. 1:06 P.M.

"Are you just getting up now?"

"Uh-huh. Stop judging me, you jerk."

"I didn't say anything."

Naruto mumbles something that Sasuke doesn't catch before going quiet.

When Naruto doesn't say anything else, Sasuke begins typing away at his computer, reviewing documents for today's meeting with some business partners. He thought about rescheduling to a later date, perhaps when his brain isn't all over the place, but he knows Father CEO will have his head for canceling a very important meeting because he was feeling a_ little_ off.

"Hey, teme," Naruto says after a while. He almost forgot about the blonde.

"What?" Sasuke sighs. He must be really out of it if he hasn't hung up the phone yet.

"Why do I have a motorcycle's side mirror in my house?"

Sasuke blinks once, thinking _why indeed? _before deciding he doesn't care. He's entertained the idiot enough for today.

He ends the call without another thought.

Sasuke stares blankly at the computer screen for a few seconds before forcing himself to do something productive. He actually manages to read through some more documents and a few emails before he hears a soft knock on the door.

"Mr. Uchiha," his secretary calls from the doorway. "Your meeting with Morrell Corp. is in fifteen minutes. Conference room one."

Sasuke briefly looks up from his computer to acknowledge the girl. "Aa."

"Do you need me to get you anything?"

"No. Just bring this there," he says as he hands her a silver iPad he procured from his desk drawer. She walks over to receive the gadget, the clicking of her heels muted by the carpeted floor.

"Anything else, sir?"

"Make sure the door's open when I get there," he says before going back to typing away on his computer.

The girl smiles a bit, most likely remembering Sasuke's incident with the door this morning. "Yes, sir."

Not long after his secretary left, the short burst of productivity that graced Sasuke followed. Leaning further back on the backrest of his leather seat, he decides to forego answering emails in favor of counting the seconds left until he has to go to the conference room for his meeting. When the time on his desktop read 1:54, he tiredly gets up from his plush rolly-chair and pockets his phone. Not wasting another moment, Sasuke steps out of his office and walks down the hall to where the executive elevator is. He presses the down button and waits for the car to arrive at his floor. He doesn't have to wait long before the steel doors slide open and he steps inside the compartment.

Because he's acting COO, he gets his own elevator. Well, not really, since other executives use it too, but all he cares about is that he doesn't have to stand in a matchbox with other people like suit-clad sardines anymore. Sasuke hated when people invaded his personal space. He remembers Itachi teasing him about it when he complained about how he gets harassed every time he rides the lift.

"_I've seen security footage, Sasuke. No one's talked to you, touched you, or even looked at you wrong." Itachi told him._ "_They all look anywhere else as soon as they see you in the same car." _

"_They're too close."_

"_It's an elevator. What did you expect?"_

"_That people would respect my personal space." _

_Itachi just sighed and offered him a small smile, but Sasuke didn't miss the mischief in his brother's eyes. "If you want to use the exec elevator, Sasuke, all you have to do is ask Nii-san nicely." _

_When Sasuke started to walk away, Itachi simply followed, clearly amused by his little brother's behavior. "C'mon, it's not that hard. Just say, _Itachi-nii-san, can I please ride the elevator with you?"

Sasuke didn't say please or Itachi-nii-san and he practically muttered the whole thing but he still received free lifts to his floor from Itachi whenever they went to work at the same time. And because Itachi was Itachi, he had an anti-harassment seminar held in the office too.

A smirk makes its way to his lips. Good times.

The elevator car had gone down 15 floors when Sasuke feels his phone vibrate from his pant leg pocket. He takes it out to see three message notifications from Naruto.

_Buzz!_ Four now.

He unlocks his phone to read whatever his blonde friend sent him. Sasuke lets out a sigh. He must really be out of it if he's reading texts from a hangover-ed Naruto during work hours.

_Oh my god i think i killed someone last night_

_Nope it's just Kiba _

_Hehe_

_Oh no he's not breathing_

Sasuke is able to text a short _Stop flooding my phone _before another three message bubbles pop on the screen_. _Not bothering to read whatever idiotic live updates Naruto is still sending him, he puts his phone on airplane mode. A second later, the elevator slows, then stops. It makes a sound to notify he's arrived at his level and he walks out as soon as the doors open.

He can't wait for this day to be over.

* * *

The meeting went on forever.

When his secretary rolled in some coffee and biscuits forty-five minutes into the meeting and informed him that his next appointment for the day had been canceled, Sasuke thought he'd be able to go home early. Quite unfortunately, the men he was meeting with apparently had supersonic hearing because they took the liberty to take an hour more than their allotted time to present a business proposal that wasn't included in the agenda.

Sasuke isn't a pushover but his last three remaining brain cells were already struggling to keep him from doing something stupid like spontaneously combusting that he just sat there passively, his attention long gone from the two quacking men.

By the time the meeting was over, the sun was going down and Sasuke was stiff, tired, and hungry. Famished. Starving. Right now, he wants nothing more than to go home with a take-out bag filled with fast food.

Stepping out into the car park, Sasuke rolls his shoulders in an attempt to work out some of the stiffness. He walks toward his black Maserati and presses on his car keys to unlock the vehicle. He gets in and wastes no time in getting out of the building.

Sasuke finds himself at a McDonald's drive-thru ten minutes later. He shamelessly orders two double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a Coke before driving forward to the next window to pay.

After a few minutes, he's handed a bag of food and a large soda cup through the window.

The smell of beef patties and grease fill his car as he puts his soda in the cup holder and the brown paper bag on the passenger seat. He fishes a cheeseburger from the bag and manages to unwrap it with one hand while his other hand steers the car back into traffic.

Thirty minutes later, Sasuke finds himself in the comfort of his luxury apartment.

With his coat off and his tie loosened, Sasuke slumps down on the couch and unwraps his second cheeseburger. He contemplates taking the pickles out because _who eats pickles?_ but he hadn't bothered removing the ones in his first stack and he's still alive.

Sasuke takes them out anyway and places them on a napkin. His nose wrinkles at the sight of the two wrinkly discs. _Ew. _

Halfway through his sandwich, he pulls out his phone from his pocket and turns off airplane mode. The device vibrates almost immediately and message notifications start popping on the screen one after another.

He has 17 messages from Naruto, one from his mother, and a voicemail from an unknown number. He checks the one from his mother first.

_Sasuke-chan! I have your tux for the charity gala next week. Should I have it sent to your place or will you pick it up here?_

Sasuke quickly types a _Here, please. _and hits send. He takes another bite of his cheeseburger and reads Naruto's texts next. They were all a bunch of live updates from early this afternoon. He rolls his eyes. How is he friends with the blonde again?

_I think he's dead_

_Oh no_

_Who's gonna take care of Akamaru?_

_Fuck teme_

_How am i gonna tel akamaru_

_How am i gonna tell his parents_

_?_

_HOW AM I GONNA TELL MY PARENTS?_

_Teme, i don't wanna go to jaul_

_Jail*_

_Wait i havent checked his pulse yet_

_Oh no he just opened his eyes_

_Sasuke, he's hauntong me_

_Why arent u replying_

Perhaps he's friends with the idiot because he finds Naruto's misadventures entertaining, albeit a bit (a lot) annoying. Call him mean but he'd most likely let out a sound of amusement before helping the loser out of whatever mess he's gotten himself into. Not that he believes Naruto actually managed to kill someone.

_Teme!_

_He's alive! :D_

_No need to worry about bailing me out lol_

By the time he's done reading the thread his second cheeseburger was nonexistent and his stomach was full. He takes a long sip of his soda and sends a five-hour late reply to his friend.

He listens to the voicemail next.

"Hi. It's me. You're probably wondering why I'm reaching out to you after ghosting you eight months ago. Truth is, I need your help. I—"

Sasuke tunes out the rest of the message.

_It's me._

Like the speaker expected Sasuke to know her identity just from her voice. Oh, he knew, alright; that voice haunted his dreams for weeks after she stopped seeing him, stopped responding to his texts, his calls. He'd recognize that tinkling sound anywhere. And even if he didn't, that ghosting bit was a dead giveaway. There's only one person who ever ghosted Uchiha Sasuke.

He squeezes his eyes shut to stop the flashes of green that's starting to fill his vision. Thinking about the past won't do him any good at all.

His first thought is to delete the voicemail. He's not exactly keen on letting somebody who willingly, _cruelly,_ left him hanging after worming her way into his heart back in his life. And hearing her speak, listening to what she has to say, _would be_ letting her in.

He should just delete the voicemail. Pretend he never even received it in the first place. Yes, that would be the best thing to do.

Then again, Sasuke thinks, he wouldn't be one to give a Ted talk on decision-making either.

Against his better judgement, Sasuke plays the voicemail again and this time, he takes care to listen to every word. His stomach churns the whole time.

"Hi. It's me. You're probably wondering why I'm reaching out to you after ghosting you eight months ago. Truth is, I need your help. I know I'm in no position to be asking you for favors but please… Meet me in this address—"

Sasuke taps pause on his phone to jot down the place on the back of a crumpled McDonald's receipt he found in his pocket.

He doesn't get more than two words after pressing play when the recording gets choppy as if the caller was having trouble with getting reception when she left the voicemail. Sasuke frowns as he tries to understand what her voice, distorted by the awful reception, was saying. In the end, he only manages to catch the last bit of the message which had become clear after 12 seconds of garbled speech.

He plays the recording again and fast-forwards to the last six seconds.

"—bring a candle then light it when you get there. Doesn't matter what time you come; I'll be there... Bye."

Sasuke frowns upon hearing the odd request. Was this a dare? Some part of grad school sorority initiation? Maybe a prank-an-ex challenge her crazy blonde friend goaded her into?

But, Sasuke thinks a little bitterly, he was never her ex.

_Does she even have an ex?_

He shakes his head. Now is not the time for such thoughts. Besides, it's none of his goddamn business who she dates or how many guys she's dated.

Should he go? Sasuke lets his head fall on the backrest of the sofa and stares at the ceiling. He doesn't know.

If he goes, and this ends up being a prank, then he'd have a wasted hour and a story to tell. But if he doesn't and her request ends up being legit, then he'll never know what could have happened. He wouldn't have a story and most of his waking days would once again be filled with thoughts of her and _what could have been_.

He's leaning more towards ignoring her but the anticipated effect doesn't really sound that appealing to him.

He looks at the little piece of paper in his hand.

He types the address into his phone's Waze app and frowns upon seeing the location on the map.

_She has quite the sense of humor, hasn't she?_ The voice in Sasuke's head sneers. Of all the places to meet, she chooses this one.

He scowls, his free hand clenching at his knee. Despite his rationalization, he knows he shouldn't go.

Because what he doesn't want to admit is the fact that if he goes and she's there and she does have something to say, that he's scared he'll end up drowning in her again and he doesn't want to hope; doesn't want to waste another day in his life obsessing over all the feelings he's tried so hard to quash when she upped and left.

No. It's best he doesn't go.

But Sasuke's made plenty of bad decisions in his life, that what's one more?

He decides to go if only to satisfy his curiosity as to what that deserter—that _ghost—_wanted, and maybe (definitely) give her a piece of his mind.

No one starts a relationship with Uchiha Sasuke, leaves, and gets away with it.

* * *

**henlo :)**


	2. Didn't think it was in your personality

**Chapter 2**

**Didn't think it was in your personality**

* * *

Sasuke has never been good at dealing with his emotions. Ever since he can remember, he's only ever had three options when it came to the five little beings living inside his brain: 1) repress them, 2) let them go crazy, and 3) ignore them. He's especially good with number one, which is why it's his default when something unpleasant happens to him.

Had Sasuke visited the guidance counselor when he was younger or had he not donated that self-help book his brother had given him when his pet fish died, then perhaps he'd know how to process his feelings better.

Perhaps then, Sasuke won't have his repressed, thought to be dead feelings blow up on his face as hard as it did at this moment.

He really should have thought about this more before leaving his flat to meet with this girl who's kind of an ex but not really his ex. He should have slept on it, really.

_It's not too late to turn back_, Sasuke thinks. There's about seven minutes more of driving left before he reaches his destination; he can easily turn the car around and go home.

But he's already more than halfway to the place that it's almost silly to back out.

_Keyword: almost, _the mini-Sasuke that popped up on his left shoulder tells him. _No one will know._

_But you want to talk to her, don't you? You want answers, closure, _mini-Sasuke on his right says. His superego maybe?_ Besides, you're no coward. You're not the one at fault and you're definitely not the one who owes her an explanation. You have absolutely no reason to feel like your going to trial._

_Is closure really more important than yourself? What if this doesn't turn out well? You have separation anxiety, _the one on his left reminds him.

Right mini-Sasuke tugs at his collar. _You can yell at her for ghosting you. _

Sasuke's hold tightens on the wheel. He's currently at an intersection, waiting for the stoplight to turn green. Behind him, a line of cars signal their turning intent and Sasuke feels almost pressured to do the same. He knows straight ahead will lead to confrontation and left will lead to safety.

Sasuke's never been afraid of conflict but at the same time, he's always had the biggest sense of self-preservation. Right now, other factors aside, it all comes down to what he values more—answers or his emotional well-being.

Crossroads at a crossroad. It's almost poetic, really.

His decision is made for him when the Toyota behind him honks and his foot automatically steps on the gas, his hands unmoving still on the wheel. In his internal dilemma, he hadn't noticed the light turn green.

_Well, fuck it_. Guess he's going to go through with this after all.

The two mini-Sasukes disappear and OG-Sasuke resists the urge to smack his face on the steering wheel. When had he become so indecisive—so pathetic—that his brain resorted to making his choices manifest in the form of miniature Sasukes?

He scowls. He's been so out of character today, he wonders if Naruto's stupidity has finally rubbed off on him.

The thought makes him step on the gas pedal a bit harder.

"_In two hundred meters, turn right." _

Sasuke makes a sound of annoyance. He doesn't really like being told which way to go but while he knows how to get to the place, he doesn't quite trust himself to pay attention to where he's going in his current state of mind hence, the GPS.

"This is stupid," he mutters when he misses the turn. He backs up a bit and makes the turn right, speed considerably slower now.

Fuck. The closer he gets to the place, the more he feels nauseous. Maybe he shouldn't have eaten all that food.

"_You have reached your destination."_

Sasuke frowns. Did he arrive already?

_But there's nothing here,_ he thinks as he rolls down the window so he can stick his head out. There's only an empty field. There is nothing here for miles except streetlights. Did he make a wrong turn?

No, he followed the GPS' directions. Besides, he knows the way from his building to this place. He's sure he took the right route. But where are the flowers? The lights?

Pulling his head back in the car, he double checks the location in his GPS.

"Well, this is the right address," he tells no one.

Sasuke kills the engine but keeps the headlights on. He grabs the candle on the passenger seat and a lighter from the glove compartment before stepping out of the car. The smell of grass, dirt, and something sweet assaults his nose.

He looks around, the evening breeze refreshingly cool on his skin. However, what he sees brings a frown to his face.

In front of him, the grass was tall and unkempt, with shrubs and ferns growing here and there. Dead flower stalks litter the ground. _That must be what's causing the smell_, he thinks.

In the distance, he sees the silhouette of a little house and what looked like lines of thin cables hanging from post to post, forming boxes in the field. _Fairy lights._

They aren't on though. And the only light he has comes from his car and the streetlight a few meters down the road.

It's not at all like he remembers. This dead, empty lot was once a flower farm. Now the place looks like a set location for Supernatural. Even the sign on the side of the road that said Konoha Flower Farm was missing.

Did she know about the state of this place when she left that voicemail?

Fishing the lighter from his pocket, Sasuke lights the candle and waits by the side of his car. He's careful not to hold the waxy rod straight up so as not to get melted wax on his hand.

He gazes at the stars while he waits.

When moments pass and she still doesn't show up, Sasuke decides to give her a ring (on the phone, of course). He opens his call log and returns her call only to hear the recorded message by the operator saying that the number is out of service. Sasuke sighs.

Maybe he shouldn't have come. What will he say, anyway?

Sasuke's eyes widen. All the times he's been told that he sucked at conversation flash in his mind. Well, fuck.

He doesn't want to make a fool of himself tonight.

He looks around just to make sure he's alone before he unlocks his phone.

"Hey, Google. What do you say to someone who ghosted you?"

Before anyone condemns him for having Google Assistant on his iPhone, Sasuke would like everyone to know that GA has served him better than Siri ever did. That, and he doesn't care what anyone thinks. Nobody likes a hater.

"_Here's what I found_—_"_

Sasuke skims through the top results and opens every link he feels can be helpful. He gives up eight websites later.

He wants a concrete answer, not TED-talk transcripts and psych advice.

Sasuke looks at the time on the corner of the screen and frowns. 8:45 P.M. He's been waiting for thirty minutes. _Where is she?_

He leans back against the side of his car and contemplates calling her again when he realizes something. _Shit._

'Come anytime, I'll be there' his ass. He's been pranked.

This is stupid. And embarrassing. He should have seen the signs.

'Light a candle'? Seriously.

"What is wrong with you today?" He mutters to himself, letting out a curse. The candle in his hand is melting and wax burns his skin. He considers leaving her voicemail of his own to give her a piece of his mind.

_If you leave a voicemail, she'll know you came_, he thinks to himself_. You don't want to give her the satisfaction._

Okay. No voicemail then.

But dang, Sasuke is pissed. And what a sight he must be, standing alone in an abandoned lot, candle in hand, waiting for a girl who will never come. He feels like a joke.

"You're so stupid, Sasuke!"

Sasuke blames his soup of a brain. He's just thankful Naruto isn't here to make things worse. The blonde would never let him live this down. Ghosted and stood up eight months later by the same girl.

He runs his free hand over his face in irritation. _Stupid._

He moves to blow on the candle when a girl's voice interrupts him. "Please don't do that."

He turns around. _Oh, God._

Standing in the open field, just about twelve feet from him is Sakura, emerald eyes and rose gold hair just as he remembers. "Hello, Sasuke-kun."

* * *

Sasuke doesn't know how long he just stood and stared. An eternity could have passed for all he knew. But it isn't like those romantic comedy shit where time stops and everything else fades and it's just the two of them in that moment. No, it isn't like that all. It's as if the sight of her had set off a "delete all and reboot" command in his brain. For a moment, he couldn't think of anything. He's at a blank.

Then, like a tidal wave, hot white anger washes over his entire being. Betrayal bubbles in his chest and on the spur of the moment, Sasuke finds himself marching up to the girl.

"Eight months and this is what you make me do? That's what you say—_hello, S__asuke-kun?_"

She looks at him sadly. "I'm sorry."

She must be kidding.

"What do you want, Sakura_?_" He asks, barely holding on to his patience. His hands clench at his sides.

For her part, Sakura looks like she's thinking of the best way to break the news that his family died on the operating table. Sasuke scowls.

"I asked you to come here…. to tell you… the reason why..." Sakura struggles to say, her speech choppy like it physically pains her to get the words out. "I disappeared…"

_Wow. Okay. Fine, he'll humor her. _

"Quite abruptly," she adds, though more as an afterthought.

Sasuke raises his eyebrows, prompting. If she doesn't talk soon, well… Sasuke doesn't really want to think about it.

He watches Sakura take a deep breath.

"I'm dead. When I said I ghosted you, I didn't just mean it figuratively. _I'm dead_, Sasuke-kun. I literally ghosted you."

One.

Two.

Three.

"_Bullshit!_ If you're going to make excuses, at least make them believable, Sakura."

Sakura opens her mouth to talk but Sasuke is on a roll. He takes a step closer to the girl, anger radiating off him in waves. "After what you did, the least you can do is tell the truth. I deserve that much."

"Look, I don't know how to make this easier but I'm telling the truth!"

Red fills Sasuke's vision. He feels the venom drip from his words as they leave his mouth. "Are you hearing yourself right now? You left me with no explanation, knowing that I—and now you're making up this fucking—shit!"

Sasuke feels the urge to hit something but he's in an open field, the closest thing to him is a dead flower stalk. He forces himself to get a hold of his emotions. "You're cruel, Sakura. I didn't think it was in your personality but quite obviously, I was wrong. You're just like the others. Fucking liar."

Sakura raises her hand and for a second, Sasuke thinks she's going to slap him. He closes his eyes, anticipating the impact but seconds pass and he feels nothing. _Did she change her mind?_

When he opens his eyes, he sees Sakura standing _right in front_ of him, hand suspended between them. Sasuke hears the blood pounding in his head. One more step and their feet will be touching.

She waits for him to meet her eyes before she gently brings her raised hand to his cheek. Sasuke blinks once. And then twice. Instead of skin, Sasuke just feels a cool breeze against his cheek. Like biting winter air blowing on his face except the sensation is localized to where her hand should have touched him.

Sasuke moves to push her away but his hand just passes through her body. Like she's made of smoke. Like she's an illusion.

Either in shock or fear, Sasuke scurries back, almost tripping in his hasty retreat. Only one word is going through his mind. _FUCK._

Sakura smiles sadly. "I'm not lying, Sasuke-kun."

_Fuck. _"Fuck."

"Are you afraid?"

"I—You—" Sasuke struggles to form his sentence, his mind unable to wrap itself around what's happening just yet. "You're a ghost."

"Yes."

"You're not alive."

"No."

Sasuke swallows. He's talking to a_ dead _girl. It takes every ounce of self-control to get his dinner to stay in his tummy but he manages a weak "okay."

"Do you believe me now?"

Not trusting himself to speak, Sasuke nods.

Sakura moves toward him. He thinks she'll try to touch him again but she stops two paces from him. She trains her eyes to his shaking hand before shifting her gaze to his face.

"Are you afraid?" She asks again, voice a gentle whisper.

Sasuke takes a moment to really look at her. Pink hair, green eyes, same pretty face. She's wearing a little red sundress, her feet clad in white sandals. She looks just like she did when he last saw her.

Sasuke struggles to breathe. He has so many questions swimming in his head at the moment. _How come he's only hearing about this now? Does anybody else know? Why doesn't she look dead? Is he on drugs?_

He briefly wonders if his face is displaying his anxiety because Sakura takes a step back.

"No," he finally says and it's the truth. His head is in overdrive but for all he's worth, Sasuke can't find it in himself to be afraid.

This is (_was_) the girl who carried doggy treats and cat kibble in her purse so she can feed strays. The same girl who mourned with him when Fishy died. The girl who hovered over him when he caught a bad case of the sniffles. The girl who watched the stars with him after a tough day. How could he be afraid of her?

_She's dead,_ his brain tells him.

"No," he repeats, though this time, he says it for his own sake.

Sakura smiles but her eyes are sad, exhausted.

"But you're still mad at me," she says.

Is he? Yes.

Before her, Sasuke didn't have anyone he was emotionally invested in. And that was okay. That was safe. He doesn't like it when people leave so he's very particular with who he lets into his life. But then she waltzed in all pink and kind and pretty and suddenly, he had someone he didn't want to lose. He'd been happy, content. Until she left and he was devastated.

So, yes. He's mad. He's furious. Livid. Though he's not sure whether it's at her, the situation, or both.

"It's okay," she tells him. "You have every right to be. And I'm sorry that I hurt you by, well, dying but—"

She takes a breath. "I didn't _choose _to leave you. I didn't choose to die, Sasuke-kun. It's not like I woke up one day and decided to get hit by a bus."

For a moment, Sasuke forgets about his anger. "You were hit by a bus?"

"No," Sakura shakes her head. "I don't know. I don't really remember what happened but since I woke up, I haven't been able to leave this place so this must be where I died."

"Which makes death by vehicular accident unlikely."

"Yes. Or maybe I did get hit but they dumped me here to escape a lawsuit."

Sasuke frowns. "A hit and run would've made more sense. For them."

Sakura rolls her eyes. It's so weird how she looks so alive.

"Someone murdered me then," she says nonchalantly. "Or I fell and hit my head. Cracked my skull and bled to death. Hey, that rhymed!"

Sasuke's eyebrows furrow together. This girl is impossible. "How can you be so calm? Sakura, You died! You're talking about you dying!"

"You're calm too and you're talking to a ghost."

Sasuke breathes deeply through his nose.

"I am not calm."

Sakura looks at him somberly. "Okay."

They stare at each other for a few seconds, neither of them talking.

He still can't get over the fact that this girl is dead. She looks so alive...

"I'm just saying, Sasuke-kun," Sakura finally breaks the silence. "Besides, it doesn't matter. I'm dead. I just want to be put to rest."

"You want me to find out who killed you?"

"No, not really. I mean, I believe whoever it was should take responsibility for their actions but like I said, I'm dead. It doesn't matter. Not to me, anyway."

Sasuke doesn't quite agree with Sakura but he's spent too much time here already, in the dark, in the middle of the night, talking to the ghost of a dead girl no less. He wants to go home now. And sleep. Then maybe when he wakes up, preferably in ten days, he'd find that he just dreamed everything up.

But dream or not, he wants one question answered.

"So, why call me?"

"I told you. I need your help."

"I meant why call _me? _There are other people, Sakura," he explains. "Why not call them? Why me?"

Sakura doesn't say anything so Sasuke continues. "You know I have separation anxiety. Did you want me to hang with you for a while and then feel bad after you "pass through" to the other side? Isn't ghosting me once enough? You want to put me through shit again?"

Sakura only looks at him like she's about to light his funeral pyre. Like he's the one who's dead and not her.

"Sakura, why did you call me here?" He asks again.

"Because Sasuke-kun," she begins. "Something's keeping me here and it may have something to do with you."

* * *

**Writing in the present tense is hard. Also, I want a dog.**


	3. People talk to tombstones

**Chapter 3**

**People talk to tombstones**

* * *

"May I know for what occasion?" Sasuke's five foot two secretary asks. The look on her face tells Sasuke just how unexpected his request is. And knowing the girl, he wouldn't be surprised if talk about an Uchiha Sasuke's girlfriend circulates in the whole office before lunchtime.

If that's the case, then the joke's on her. He doesn't have a girlfriend.

"No."

"Well, does this person have a favorite flower?"

Sasuke frowns. "I'm not sure."

"Okay," she nods, lips quirking a little to the side. "Well, is there a message you want the flowers to convey?"

Sasuke blinks. Are there flowers that say rest in peace? He's not well-versed in hanakotoba but he's pretty sure there aren't any flowers that say 'bon voyage' or 'happy afterlife'.

"Just get something pretty."

"Yes, sir." The girl looks disappointed but does not say anything else. She politely bows and walks toward the door.

"Wait," he calls. His secretary turns to look at him expectantly. "Make sure it's in a biodegradable pot."

She looks at him curiously but nods nonetheless. "Yes, sir."

Sasuke watches the girl's retreating form and briefly wonders what kind she'll get. He knows the girl is unsatisfied with the answers he gave and even more curious with his request but frankly, he couldn't care less. His business is his business.

He would have gotten the flowers himself but he honest to goodness still needs so much time to come to terms with what happened not twenty-four hours ago.

Never in his whole twenty-three years did he think that he'd be able meet a ghost. A ghost who just so happened to have ghosted him whilst she was still living and have now decided to haunt him eight months after her untimely demise.

As much as Sasuke would like to shrug it all off as a dream, he knows it isn't one because he isn't imaginative enough, even when unconscious, to come up with something as bizarre as this. Believe it or not, the most exciting dream he's ever had was his great-great-great-grandfather drowning him in milk and frosted cereal, and that was when he was eight. If his brain can't dream up remarkable shit when his imagination was supposed to be the most active, then his adult self almost certainly won't be able to as well.

Turning in his seat, Sasuke thinks back on their encounter the night before.

"_What do you mean?" He asked, brows furrowing together in confusion. "I didn't kill you if that's what you're getting at."_

"_That's not_—_that didn't even cross my mind, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura scowled at him. A gust of wind blew causing goosebumps to form on the exposed skin of his arms but Sakura didn't look the least bit bothered by the chill. She turned towards the direction of the farm house and sighed._

"_You know how in movies and TV shows the reason dead people can't go to the other side is because they have unfinished business on earth?" She asked. "Well, I believe it's the same thing with me."_

"_Okay," he said, impatience lacing his voice. "What does that have to do with me?"_

"_Well, as we've established, I ghosted you." Sakura turned back to him, her left hand now picking at her nails_—_a habit she had when she was uncomfortable or nervous._

_She cleared her throat. "Perhaps you haven't moved on?" _

_Sasuke blanched. _

"_Excuse you, I haven't thought about you in months."_

_Sakura raised her eyebrows. Her expression reminded him of the times she defended her food choices by pointing out his. "Doesn't mean you've let me go."_

"_Don't flatter yourself. We weren't even together."_

Now, where did that come from?

_YAAAS. Go OG! A mini Sasuke that popped on his shoulder cheered. He fought the urge to smirk and pat himself on the back. _Yaaas, _indeed._

_Sakura looked at him incredulously which made him wonder for a moment if she can hear his thoughts._

"_Yeah, but that was four months of mutual understanding!" she exclaimed. "Surely, you_—_"_

"_Sakura," he said firmly, cutting her off. "You're the first girl to ever do that to me. And given my condition, it's not really something I like to think about."_

"_I get where you're coming from, Sasuke-kun. I really do, but repression is not the same as moving on." _

_Sasuke felt his anger returning. This conversation was getting too much. _She _was getting too much. How dare she pop up, fuck with his head, and accuse him of being hung up on her? He wanted to pull her by the hair and throw her in the ocean just for that comment. But Sasuke is an Uchiha through and through. He knows how to pick his battles and this one just wasn't worth it (which is partly because he knows his hands will just pass through her body)._

_He sighs resignedly. "Fine. What do you suppose we do?" _

_Sakura started to play with the hem of her sundress, revealing more of her skin. Sasuke, thank God, did not find the action the least bit distracting. (He's curious though. Will it be considered necrophilia if he gets turned on by a ghost?)_

"_I say we go to the cemetery so you can, I don't know, mourn?" _

"_Fine, where exactly are you buried?" _

"_I don't know."_

_Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What?"_

"_There's only one cemetery in the city. I'm sure you'll find which lot I'm_ in."

* * *

Yeah, right. There's only one cemetery in the city because it's huge. As soon as he arrived at the gates, he headed straight to the administration office where he spent nearly two hours making the ever so slow admin people check and double check their records to find where Haruno Sakura was buried.

And now, three hours since he set off for the cemetery, he's back to the flower field where he saw Sakura's ghost the night before.

Having pocketed his lighter and half a candle from last night, he takes out the potted flowers and the plastic spade his secretary got him from the passenger seat. Making sure he's got everything he needs, he closes the door and clicks on his keys to lock the car.

He walks over to what he remembers to be Sakura's favorite spot—a little patch of grass, just big enough for a picnic, surrounded by what used to be rows and rows of hyacinths. Like most of the fields, the tiny area is covered with weeds.

Crouching down on the ground, Sasuke places the flowers and the gardening tool by his feet and starts pulling out weeds and overgrown grass. He keeps this up until he's satisfied with the surface area he's cleared. He then picks up the spade and digs a hole deep enough for his potted plant.

The soil is surprisingly lush and soft despite being left alone for months and it being the driest summer Konoha's had in years. The task dirties Sasuke's hand but he doesn't mind. Carefully, he places the clusters of hydrangeas in the hole and shoves the loose soil back in to cover the biodegradable pot so only the flowers are visible.

Sasuke then takes the lighter from his pocket and rests his thumb on the sparkwheel.

A question weighs heavily on his mind. How does one mourn?

Sasuke's attended wakes and funerals before but none of them were able to elicit heartfelt emotion from him. For every one he's attended, he wore black and kneeled and gave koden. He felt sad, yes, but not once did he ever weep for the death of a person. If he's being honest, he almost only comes as respect to the dead and support to the bereaved.

Perhaps it's because he hasn't had anyone he truly cares about die yet. He hasn't felt the sorrow people feel when they lose a dear person to death.

So then, how does a person mourn when he doesn't feel an ounce of sorrow?

Sasuke frowns. He doesn't even know how he truly feels about Sakura's passing. If he'd heard about her death seven months ago, he's sure he'd be devastated—maybe would've even gone hysterical at the news—but now...

All he feels is hurt and confusion. Is he being a bad person for not feeling sad?

"God, this is so annoying," Sasuke says in irritation.

He's moved on already. He hasn't thought about her in months, so why does he have to do this now?

As if on cue, Sakura's words ring in his mind. _Repression is not the same as moving on._

But, Sasuke thinks, repression _is_ his means of moving on.

He lets out a deep sigh. _Fuck it._

Opening the vault of the past is the last thing he wants to do but if this will put her spirit to rest then fine. A last favor to a friend (friend being an understatement but okay).

Sasuke looks at the lighter in his hand as he thinks about how he should start. He really isn't good with words.

"Tch."

He reaches for the stubby candle on the ground and hovers his lighter on the burnt wick.

It takes him three tries to light the thing and three impossibly long minutes to unlock the vault that took him months to seal.

"I wasn't lying when I told you that I haven't thought about you in months," Sasuke finally begins. An unpleasant sensation, like when he drinks ice cold water first thing in the morning, settles in his stomach. "The first two months were the hardest. For weeks, I wondered what the hell I did wrong, what was it about me that made you leave. We were doing great, how could you pull a complete 180? Was it just my money you were after? I told myself that if it was true, I would still take you back.

"I thought for sure that knowing would make moving on easier. Now, I don't know."

Sasuke sighs. It's a warm afternoon. There is no breeze and the flame from the candle, so close to his face, makes it even hotter.

A bead of sweat drips down the side of his forehead.

"Maybe it's because no matter the reason, the pain is still the same. Or maybe because I buried it so deep for so long that now… I can't find it in myself to truly care anymore.

"I hated you. And for so long, I was okay hating you. When I realized that you ghosted me, I was reduced to nothing. I felt as if I did not amount to anything, that I had no value to you. I wasn't worth fifteen minutes or even a simple goodbye text from you. And… that hurt, Sakura. It really hurt.

"And now you tell me you didn't choose to leave. I—"

His voice cracks and Sasuke feels tears sting at his eyes.

Despite the heavy weight in his chest and the slight wobbling of his chin, Sasuke continues. "Do you know what I went through when you left?"

His eyes are now welling with tears and Sasuke wipes at them before even one can escape. He doesn't feel comfortable crying.

"It's unfair." He swallows thickly. "We could have been something. Maybe in another world…"

No.

No could've beens and no maybes. _Today, we let it all go._

"I wish you peace, Sakura. I truly do."

Sasuke takes a deep breath. Then another. And another, until his head clears and the stuffiness is gone.

He closes his eyes. Little by little, piece by piece, he lets go of every hurt and ill thought with every exhale.

Sasuke doesn't know how many minutes have gone by but by the time he feels okay, it's twilight and most of the candle has melted.

He looks at the quiet, steady flame and breathes out the last of her.

"And now...I'm letting you go."

And as he says it, Sasuke knows that it's true.

The weight of her leaving is gone.

He dusts off his hands and gets up from his kneeling position, his legs slightly unsteady from being on his knees too long. He bends down a bit to dust his pants when he hears a quiet voice behind him.

"Maybe you have to find my body?"

Sasuke raises his head so fast he's sure he has whiplash. Panic floods his chest and a tingle travels from his spine to his scalp. He feels as though someone just draped a cool washcloth on the back of his neck. "What are you still doing here? You're supposed to be gone."

Sakura, still very much a visible wandering spirit, offers him a sheepish smile.

"Err...I don't think it worked."

"You mean I wasted all those words for nothing? Oh my God, Sakura!" Sasuke exclaims indignantly, running a hand through his hair. "I cried! I cried and it was for nothing!"

"It's not for nothing!" She defends. "I was actually here to listen to it. Most people talk to tombstones."

"No! I don't think you understand. I cried. I never cry. But I did. For you. So why the fuck are you still here?"

"I told you…" Sakura says weakly. "Maybe you need to find my body. Besides, it's normal to cry when someone you're close to dies."

If looks could kill, Sakura would be double dead by now. "Are you playing with me? Do you find some sort of sick satisfaction in playing with my feelings?"

"No! Sasuke-kun, no," Sakura hastily shakes her head. "Look, I honestly thought it would work. I'm really, really sorry, okay?"

She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. In the back of his mind, Sasuke wonders if ghosts can cry because Sakura looks just about to.

"Maybe it's another person," she adds quickly. "Yeah, maybe that's it."

Sasuke sucks in a breath through his teeth and pinches the bridge of his nose. "You are_ so_ annoying. We'll never speak of this, understood?"

Sakura nods obediently, the corners of her mouth still quivering.

Sasuke lets out a defeated sigh and eyes the light by their feet. The candle melt is cooled and hard on the ground and the wick is now only an inch tall.

In his peripheral vision, he sees Sakura pick at her nails and shift on her feet. He shifts his gaze back to the girl.

"What?"

Sakura looks up with a start. "Nothing. I just—"

She motions to the newly planted flora. "Hydrangeas? Interesting. Personally, I would have chosen white chrysanthemums or white hyacinths… maybe even sweet pea but hydrangeas? Not something I'd give to a dead friend."

Sasuke scowls, his already sour mood worsening. "They're pretty. You like pretty."

"Yes, they are", Sakura nods, a small smile playing at her lips. "They also mean heartlessness and pride, did you know?"

He did not.

"That's okay," Sakura says. She crouches down, rests her hands and cheek on her knees, and stares at the blue and purple flowers, her expression unreadable. "Considering our history, I guess hydrangeas are okay too."

Sasuke wants to be properly mad at her, but after that emotional bout of honesty, he feels too clean and too tired to bother.

He's finally moved on. He's not going to let her, ghost or not, to haunt him again.

Sasuke watches her stare at the flowers.

He sighs. He's annoyed, yes, but that can be remedied with sleep.

"I'm going home," he says after a while.

Sakura only nods quietly, not moving from her spot on the ground. Sasuke turns around and starts walking to his car. Halfway through the field, he feels her stare weigh on his back but Sasuke ignores the urge to look back. He keeps walking straight until he reaches his black convertible.

The sun has fully set now, leaving the moon and the lone street light to illuminate the place.

He pulls on the door handle, and for the first time since Sasuke arrived that afternoon, a cool breeze blows through the whole field.

Giving in to the urge, he looks back. He doesn't know whether to feel sad or relieved at what he sees.

The little flame, along with the girl he just let go, is gone with the wind.

* * *

**Critique my writing? 🙈**


	4. I'll help you

**Chapter 4**

**I'll help you**

* * *

"Sasuke-chan, are you sure you don't want to stay with us? They said this typhoon's going to be a big one."

"Yes, mother. I'm sure," Sasuke says before taking a bite of his roasted winter squash.

His mother had insisted that Sasuke leave work early so the two of them can go get his new tux, which Sasuke found a bit tight, altered. He told his mother that he was perfectly fine with wearing his old Armani but Mikoto wants to see her son look dashing in the new tux she ordered specifically for the charity gala happening in four days' time.

Sasuke didn't have the guts or the energy to refuse her after Mikoto hounded him for eating so much fast food the past couple of weeks. According to her, just because Sasuke works out doesn't mean he can fill his body with junk whenever he wants.

And now he's currently having an early dinner with his mother in one of her favorite vegetarian restaurants near the designer boutique.

"Why do you even have to live in that apartment all by yourself?" The older Uchiha asks, a frown marring her gentle face. "No one's taking care of you there. Don't you get sad?"

Sasuke puts his fork down and gives his mother a blank look. They've had this conversation many times before and Sasuke knows exactly where this is going. "Mom."

He sighs at the sight of his mother's eyes turning glassy with tears.

"Oh, my little baby. I remember when you used to crawl into our bed at night whenever you couldn't sleep." Mikoto sniffles. "Why did you and Itachi have to grow up too fast?"

"Mom."

"Oh, Itachi! Don't even get me started on that boy. He used to wake me and your father up in the middle of the night so he can perform whatever piece he learned during piano lessons. Why he couldn't do it before bedtime, I'll never know."

"Mom."

Mikoto, still very much oblivious to her son's attempts at getting her attention, waves her fork at Sasuke. "You know, I was pregnant with you at that time. I thought for sure—"

"Mom!"

"What?! Can't you see your mother is trying to reminisce?" His mother scolds, clearly irritated at Sasuke for interrupting.

Sasuke clicks his tongue and motions to the glass wall beside them. "It's going to start raining soon."

Outside, heavy rain clouds have started to form and strong gusts of wind cause the trees in the area to sway.

His mother sighs. "Fine, fine. Are you done eating?"

"Aa."

Sasuke waits patiently as his mother pays their bill before leading her out of the restaurant and into the parking lot where her chauffer is waiting.

"Make sure you have extra batteries ready, okay? And keep your phone fully charged. Do you have enough food at home?" Mikoto asks as they near their cars.

"Mom, I'm okay," Sasuke assures his mother. "You should go now."

"Okay, okay. Don't be late on Friday!"

Sasuke plants a kiss on his mother's cheek and helps her get in the backseat of her Audi. He waits until the silver vehicle is out of the lot before getting into his own car. Glancing once at the rearview mirror, Sasuke backs up his car and drives out of the lot.

Rain starts to fall in steady sheets and Sasuke relishes in the sound it makes as he steers the car to the direction of his home.

The drive back to his apartment is short and Sasuke finds himself outside the car park elevator in no time at all. Sasuke is watching the elevator floor lights change when the lights in the whole level start to flicker.

He knows better than to take the elevator when there's the threat of power outage but...

Sasuke looks at the emergency stairs and frowns. His unit is on the 21st floor which means that he has to climb sixteen flights of stairs to get home and, well, he doesn't really want to do that right now, thank you.

Deciding to take the risk, Sasuke continues to wait for the car to reach his level.

_23, 22, 21._

The lights flicker again before going out. Thunder echoes outside.

_Guess I'm taking the stairs,_ Sasuke sighs tiredly. He reluctantly heads toward the stairs, phone in flashlight mode, and suit bag in hand_._

By the time he reaches his floor, Sasuke is drenched in sweat. Berating himself for lagging behind on his cardio, he drags his feet to the other end of the hall. He puts in his security code in the digital lock and pushes the door open as soon as he hears the familiar buzz. He makes straight for the living room and tiredly slumps down on the couch, lazily placing the black suit bag beside him.

"I am so unfit," he tells the ceiling.

The ceiling, thankfully, does not reply.

Sasuke stays like this for a few minutes, trying to lower his heart rate. When his heart finally stops pounding so loud, he lazily reaches for the end table drawer for a flashlight.

And a tiny flashlight keychain with Pikachu designs he recognized to be Naruto's.

He tries the bigger one first. It shines dimly for a few seconds before flickering three times and eventually dying. Sasuke tries again.

Nothing.

"For crying out—" Sasuke mutters exasperatedly. He shoots a dirty look at the Pikachu flashlight. "Don't tell me you're not working too."

Sasuke presses the on button and a yellow Pikachu appears on the wall, faintly illuminating the area the light beam passes. However, a heavy feeling settles on Sasuke's stomach. He hasn't taken his thumb off the switch yet.

His eyes narrow at the cheap plastic. _Don't you dare._

Sasuke lifts his finger off the on button and Pikachu immediately disappears, leaving Sasuke once more in the dark.

_Of course._ The damned thing only lights up as long as the button is pressed. He glares at the flashlight, willing it to burst into flames. Sasuke presses on the little button repeatedly in irritation making Pikachu look like he's having a seizure.

"Fuck my life."

He is not ready for this typhoon. Or for any emergency at all. If the apocalypse were to happen at this very moment, he'd be dead in two minutes.

Sasuke pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance. The backup generator would take at least ten more minutes to start working and he doesn't want to wait any longer in his sweaty clothes. Using his phone's flashlight, he trudges to the pantry to get some candles.

Maybe he should have accepted his mother's invitation to sleep at the manor.

Sasuke sighs. _Too late, at least the fridge is stocked._

It doesn't surprise Sasuke anymore when the only helpful things he finds in his pantry are the two Yankee Candles Naruto had given him as a housewarming gift two years ago and a quarter box of matchsticks. One day, Sasuke vows, preferably in the near future, he's going to take a day off from work and raid two groceries and a hardware store.

His phone rings from its place in a shelf and Sasuke scowls at not being able to turn the light off first before answering the call. His phone battery is only at 25% and he really doesn't want to take the stairs to the car park again just to charge.

Putting the phone to his ear, Sasuke mutters an annoyed "What?"

"Sasuke!" Naruto practically screams in his ear. "Does your building have power outage too?"

"Yes," he replies. "Why did you call?"

"Ma and Pa are not home. I'm scared, man. Y'know I don't like the dark."

"You're a grown man, Naruto."

"What's that have to do with anything?" Naruto shouts. "I mean it, Sasuke! We don't have generators here like you do in that fancy apartment."

"Hn."

"I think this place is haunted. I fucking told ma not to bring home that antique vase. I swear that thing's—Oh shit—!"

"Naruto?"

"I think there's a monster in my house," Naruto whispers. "Oh my god, Sasuke. I can see its eyes. Fuck, dude, they're yellow."

Sasuke snorts.

"Teme, d'ya hear me? They're fucking yel-_low_."

"Maybe it's a basilisk," Sasuke suggests knowing full well the idiot won't get the reference. "Or not. If it were, you'd be dead already."

"A whatilisk? What the fuck you talking about?" His friend hisses. "Oh shit. It's getting closer."

A harsh sound reminiscent of porcelain breaking and a shrill scream meets Sasuke's ear.

"What's that?" He asks. "What happened? Naruto? Are you okay?"

Naruto's voice is shaky. "If I die, delete my search history."

Sasuke frowns, now getting worried for his friend. "Naruto! Should I call the cops?"

Silence.

"Naruto!" Sasuke tries again.

"I'm okay!" Naruto speaks a few seconds later. "It's just a cat. How the fuck did a cat get in here? Hey, you're kinda cute—no, don't scratch the sofa! Oh man, ma's gonna kill me!"

"Stupid."

"Wait, don't hang up!" Naruto calls. "Can I stay at your place?"

"No." And then Sasuke hangs up.

He isn't supposed to go out in a storm anyway.

Sasuke pockets his phone and with a match, lights both candles. He stations one on the kitchen counter and takes the other one with him to the bathroom. He's so ready for a nice long shower.

...

Sasuke's mind wanders to the past week's events. It's been five days since he had last seen Sakura and yet he still doesn't know what to make of the experience. He wonders if she's already found someone else to bother or if she's still haunting that forlorn flower field.

Deciding not to dwell too much on it, Sasuke turns the shower back on. The warm water pours out above him and Sasuke lets himself relax under the steady stream of the shower.

"Eep!"

Sasuke's head jolts up and he strains his neck in time to see Sakura's hands come up to cover her eyes. His eyes widen and he feels his blood drain from his face.

In the middle of the bathroom, directly in front of the shower stall, is Sakura, still clad in her little red dress, her face and neck flushed red.

"What the fu—Sakura?!" Sasuke yells, flabbergasted at the girl who literally just popped up in his bathroom. His eyes quickly dart to the towel rack, brain already thinking of the quickest way to cover himself, only to find it empty. _Shit. _

Cursing his luck all the while trying his best not to turn his body around, he growls. "The fuck are you doing here? Get out!"

"I'm sorry but it's where the light's at!"

"You couldn't have gone to the one in the kitchen?" Sasuke asks, flustered that the only thing shielding his very naked butt from Sakura's view is her fingers.

"There's no light in the kitchen."

Head hung and hands on his hips, Sasuke drags out the longest exhale in an attempt to keep his cool. What does he have to do to shoo the dead girl to the other room?

"Damnit Sakura—just—go wait outside please." He says, fed up with Sakura low-key staring at his butt through her fingers.

Sasuke waits for an affirmative reply but none comes. A soft thud and an _oof!_ echoes in the room instead.

"I can't open the door."

Sasuke curses. "Turn around."

Sasuke walks, overly conscious of his state of undress, toward Sakura who still has her hands over her eyes and is now facing the door. The closer he gets to Sakura, the colder the air around him gets.

"Move." The girl shuffles a little to the side and Sasuke carefully reaches around her to push the door open.

With her eyes still covered, the rose-haired girl walks out the door. "You have a very pretty butt, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke closes the door behind her. Damn right he does.

* * *

After cutting his shower short and putting on some pyjamas, Sasuke reluctantly heads to the kitchen. And as if having a ghost in his home isn't enough, the candlelight in his hand is casting shadows on the walls, causing the place to look eerier than it should be.

Sakura, crouched down by his counter island, looks up the moment Sasuke walks in. She points to the Yankee Candle on the island, now knocked down and extinguished, and makes a show of passing her hand through the marble countertop. Sakura looks at him pointedly._ See? _

She then turns to look at the window, "You left it open. The wind must've knocked it down."

Sasuke frowns. Not bothering to respond, he rights the candle and walks over to the window, grunting at the puddle that has formed on the floor. He slides the panes together and locks them before taking some paper towels from the counter to wipe the floor with.

_I'm sure that window was closed, _Sasuke thinks. _Besides, how the heck did the wind knock down a glass jar?_

"Does your home always smell like a department store?" Sasuke hears Sakura ask.

Does it? Sasuke didn't really notice.

He motions to the Yankee Candle on the counter. "It's the candle."

"Midsummer's Night," Sakura reads. "Huh. Didn't take you for a scented candle kind of guy."

He's not.

"It was a gift." He says and then after a second, adds, "From Naruto."

Sakura smiles slightly. "Well, he has a good sense of smell."

Sasuke throws the wet tissue in the trash can. "You just said my home smelled like a department store."

"I didn't say it was bad. Although, you should try lavender scented ones when you're taking baths," Sakura says, trying to rest her hands on the kitchen counter and failing. "It'll really help you relax."

Sasuke's eyes narrow at the girl, the memory of Sakura popping up in his shower very much fresh in his mind. "Why are you here?"

"I thought you wanted to see me," Sakura says innocently, a smile playing at her lips. "I mean, you lit a candle and obviously, you thought about me 'cause I wouldn't have been able to show up here if you didn't."

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "Well, quite obviously, I lit the candles because of the power outage."

"And you thought about me because…?" Sakura asks smartly.

His displeasure must be evident on his face because Sakura straightens up and loses her grin. Her eyes turn pleading.

"Please help me."

Sasuke eyes her from across the room, trying to compare the Sakura in front of him to his last memory of her alive. He frowns.

"Look, I already tried, okay? Maybe you were cremated and thrown in the ocean."

"You haven't even tried contacting my family!"

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "I don't have to do anything."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Sakura, knowing she's crossed a line, relents. However, if the look in her eyes is any indication, Sasuke's sure she hasn't given up yet. He's proven correct when Sakura tries again. "How about this, you're Uchiha. You have resources—"

"No."

Sakura gapes at him. "I haven't even said anything yet!"

"It doesn't matter. I know what you're going to say and the answer is no."

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Sakura."

Sakura scowls at him and Sasuke, once again, finds himself in disbelief at how undead she looks. She looks so real and alive that he's almost sure that if he reaches out, he'll feel warm skin instead of biting cold air.

"You look like a spoiled child," he mutters.

Sakura crosses her arms over her chest and scowls even more. Sasuke notices the corners of her mouth starting to quiver—telltale signs that she's close to crying. For the second time since the day he saw her last in the flower farm, Sasuke wonders if ghosts can cry.

Deciding to push her a little more, if only to see what will happen, Sasuke saunters over to the fridge, his shoulder passing through Sakura in the process. He resists the shiver coming up his spine as he checks the contents of his fridge, purposefully trying to look cool and unaffected.

He pretends to look for something to drink and counts the seconds in his head.

At the sound of Sakura's sniffle, Sasuke closes the fridge and smirks triumphantly.

"Are you crying?" He asks, trying to keep the amusement from lacing his voice.

"No," Sakura denies, voice pitchy.

Sasuke bites the inside of his cheek to smother his laughter and turns just in time to see Sakura rub at her eyes, head low and mouth downturned in a frown.

This time, Sasuke lets out a chuckle. "You are."

Sakura whimpers then stomps her feet. "Sasuke-kun!"

"What?"

Sakura peeks at him from behind her fists and Sasuke really can't help but laugh again when she whimpers even more at the realization that he's playing with her.

Back when they were together (though not together-together), Sasuke had a guilty-pleasure in making her cry. It amused him to see her face turn red with frustration and her lips curve down like the perfect sad face emoji. Her chin would wobble and then she'd hide her face behind her hands so he wouldn't see her burst into tears. The moment she lets out any crying sound is when he'd pull her close and hold her tight.

And then she'd cry even harder when she feels the rumble of his chest because she'd know that he had intentionally made her cry. She'd call him mean and then Sasuke will sit her in his lap and tuck her head under his chin until she stops crying.

And then he'll do it again the next week.

Looking at her now, Sasuke feels the tiniest bit melancholic. Whenever he made her cry, for his amusement or not, he always made sure to comfort her after. He wonders if he can still do that now.

"Sasuke-kun, you're so mean!" Sakura sniffs.

Sighing, Sasuke walks from his place by the fridge to a kitchen stool across the still crying girl. "I'm sorry," he says. "I just wanted to see if you can cry."

Sakura looks at him with distrust.

For a second, Sasuke feels the urge to hug her. And he would have if not for two things. One, he can't touch her and two, while he's forgiven her for ghosting him, he has no idea where they stand now.

_And she's dead, _his brain reminds him. _You forgot to add that she's dead._

Right.

Still, Sasuke can't help but feel like he just kicked a puppy and left it to wallow in its pain. Especially when said puppy is starting to hiccup like crazy.

Sasuke suddenly feels bad for making her cry.

"I'll help you," Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Stop crying now."

Sniffle. "Promise?"

"Yes," he says. "But this has to remain private. And you can't expect me to spend all my time on your case."

"Okay," Sakura nods timidly, wiping her hands on the skirt of her sundress. She reaches for a kitchen towel but her hand just passes through the white roll. Sasuke thinks she might start crying again but sakura only wipes at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"And no making me do weird shit anymore. No lighting candles in deserted fields," Sasuke tells her. And then as an afterthought, adds, "and no seances. Or ouija boards. If my father gets word, I'll never hear the end of it."

Sakura only picks at her nails.

"I mean it, Sakura." Sasuke reiterates, eyes narrowing at the girl. He knows that fidgeting. "He'll send me to a looney bin."

Sakura tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. "I can promise to no ouija boards but Sasuke-kun—"

"No." Sasuke says firmly. "I already agreed to help you. Now either you agree to my conditions or you go solve your own mystery."

"Don't you think I would if I could?" Sakura sighs in defeat. "I can't express how grateful I am to you but see, I'm highly dependent on candlelight at the moment."

Sasuke frowns in confusion. The fuck does that mean?

"It anchors me here," she explains.

"Anchors?"

"To the mortal world," Sakura says. "Oh, don't look at me like that. The land of the living doesn't sound any better."

"Sakura."

"Okay, look. I don't really know how to explain but it's kinda like calling someone on the phone. Instead of dialing a number, you light a candle and think of the person you want to see. It only works for people who're still in The Middle though, and if they want to see you too, of course."

"The Middle?"

"I guess it's kind of the place between 'alive' and 'rest in peace'," Sakura says, now back to passing her hands through the counter. "I don't really remember much about it when I'm here."

"Here?"

"Did you suddenly turn into a parrot? The mortal world, the land of the living, whatever you want to call it."

"You said before that you couldn't leave the farm. How are you in my apartment? Can you appear wherever now?" Sasuke asks, slightly terrified at the thought of Sakura popping up at his workplace.

"I—I'm not entirely sure." Sakura tilts her head. "I guess...I—Well—You know what? I don't even have any guesses. All I know is that you 'called', and I showed up."

They stare at each other, neither of them speaking and Sasuke suddenly becomes hyperaware of the tiny details in the candlelit room.

"The voicemail," Sasuke begins after a while. "How were you able to leave that?"

"I—" Sakura starts. "Did you feel that?"

Sasuke frowns. "What?"

Outside, lightning flashes, causing Sasuke to turn his head from Sakura to the window. Thunder cracks a second later.

"Nothing. I thought I felt something," Sakura shakes her head. "Doesn't this place have a generator?"

"I—yeah."

Picks up the wireless telephone from its perch on the wall. He dials the front desk and a man picks up after a few rings.

"_Hello, how may I help you?"_

"Hi. Why isn't the generator on yet? It's been forty minutes already."

"_I'm sorry, Mr. Uchiha but the generator has been on for over twenty minutes now." _

Sasuke frowns, crossing the room in six long strides to peak out the door.

"I still don't—" True enough, the lights in the hallway are on.

"_We'll have someone check on your unit, sir."_

The moment the man on the phone says that, the lights overhead turn on and Sasuke hears the quiet hum of his unit's centralized air-conditioning.

"Nevermind, power's back on," Sasuke mumbles. "Thank you."

He hangs up the phone and trudges back to the kitchen only to find the candle on the counter extinguished and Sakura gone.

* * *

**How are you all doing? :)**


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